Vehicle inspection system

Abstract

A locomotive inspection system includes sensors that are selectively coupled to a locomotive during an inspection or maintenance event for the locomotive and a controller that is operable to cause a control system of the locomotive that controls plural operations of the locomotive to initiate a first operation and a different, second operation. The controller determines whether the control system has first sensor information indicative of a state of the locomotive during the first operation. The controller sends a command signal to the control system to direct the control system to change locomotive operations from the first operation to the second operation responsive to determining that the control system lacks the first sensor information. The controller obtains second sensor information from the one or more sensors based on the second operation and determines a condition of components of the locomotive based on the first and second sensor information.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An inspection system comprising:
 one or more sensors configured to be selectively coupled to a rail vehicle during one or more of an inspection event or a maintenance event for the rail vehicle, the rail vehicle comprising a control system configured to control plural operations of the rail vehicle; and 
 a controller that is transferably coupled with the control system during the one or more of the inspection event or the maintenance event for the rail vehicle, the controller configured to control one or more settings of the control system to initiate one or more of the plural operations of the rail vehicle, wherein the controller is configured to:
 determine whether the control system of the rail vehicle has first sensor information stored within a memory of the control system, the first sensor information indicative of a state of the rail vehicle during a first operation of the rail vehicle, the control system configured to initiate the first operation of the rail vehicle during a time outside of the one or more of the inspection event or the maintenance event; 
 send a command signal to the control system of the rail vehicle in order to direct the control system of the rail vehicle to initiate a second operation of the rail vehicle responsive to determining that the control system lacks the first sensor information that was requested, the second operation of the rail vehicle occurring during the one or more of the inspection event or the maintenance event; 
 obtain second sensor information from the one or more sensors based on the second operation of the rail vehicle, the second sensor information corresponding to the lacking first sensor information that would have been obtained by the control system during the first operation of the rail vehicle during the time outside of the one or more of the inspection event or the maintenance event; and 
 determine a condition of one or more components of the rail vehicle based on one or more of the first sensor information or the second sensor information. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The inspection system of  claim 1 , wherein the second operation of the rail vehicle that is directed by the controller is an operation that may be performed by the control system during movement of the rail vehicle during the time outside of the one or more of the inspection event or the maintenance event. 
     
     
       3. The inspection system of  claim 1 , wherein the condition is indicative of one or more of an operational state, a fault state, or a damaged state of the one or more of the components of the rail vehicle. 
     
     
       4. The inspection system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine a health score of the rail vehicle based on the condition of the one or more of the components of the rail vehicle. 
     
     
       5. The inspection system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to one or more of autonomously or semi-autonomously determine the condition of the one or more of the components of the rail vehicle. 
     
     
       6. The inspection system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control movement of the rail vehicle with the control system during the one or more of the inspection event or the maintenance event for the rail vehicle. 
     
     
       7. The inspection system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to select a responsive action to implement from plural different responsive actions based on the condition of the one or more of the components of the rail vehicle. 
     
     
       8. The inspection system of  claim 1 , wherein a first sensor of the one or more sensors is configured to determine an operating characteristic of the rail vehicle, and a second sensor of the one or more sensors is configured to determine an externality characteristic of the first sensor, wherein the externality characteristic is representative of one or more external conditions to which the first sensor is exposed. 
     
     
       9. The inspection system of  claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to diagnose an operational state of the rail vehicle based on the operating characteristic of the rail vehicle and based on the externality characteristic of the first sensor. 
     
     
       10. A method comprising:
 selectively coupling one or more sensors of an inspection system to a rail vehicle during one or more of an inspection event or a maintenance event for the rail vehicle, the rail vehicle comprising a control system configured to control plural operations of the rail vehicle; 
 operably coupling a controller with the control system during one or more of the inspection event or the maintenance event for the rail vehicle, the controller configured to control one or more settings of the control system of the rail vehicle to initiate one or more of the plural operations of the rail vehicle; 
 determining whether the control system of the rail vehicle has first sensor information stored within a memory of the control system, the first sensor information indicative of a state of the rail vehicle during a first operation of the rail vehicle, the control system configured to initiate the first operation of the rail vehicle during a time outside of the one or more of the inspection event or the maintenance event; 
 sending a command signal to the control system of the rail vehicle in order to direct the control system of the rail vehicle to change vehicle operations from the first operation to a second operation of the rail vehicle responsive to determining that the control system lacks the first sensor information, the second operation of the rail vehicle occurring during the one or more of the inspection event or the maintenance event; 
 obtaining second sensor information from the one or more sensors based on the second operations of the rail vehicle, the second sensor information corresponding to the lacking first sensor information that would have been obtained by the control system during the first operation of the rail vehicle during the time outside of the one or more of the inspection event or the maintenance event; and 
 determining a condition of one or more components of the rail vehicle based on one or more of the first sensor information or the second sensor information. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the second operation of the rail vehicle that is directed by the controller is an operation that may be performed by the control system during movement of the rail vehicle during the time outside of the one or more of the inspection event or the maintenance event. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 10 , further comprising determining a health score of the rail vehicle based on the condition of the one or more of the components of the rail vehicle. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 10 , wherein determining the condition of the one or more of the components of the rail vehicle is carried out by the controller one or more of autonomously or semi-autonomously. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 10 , further comprising selecting a responsive action to implement from plural different responsive actions based on the condition of the one or more of the components of the rail vehicle. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 10 , further comprising determining, with a first sensor of the one or more sensors, an operating characteristic of the rail vehicle, and determining with a second sensor of the one or more sensors, an externality characteristic of the first sensor, wherein the externality characteristic is representative of one or more external conditions to which the first sensor is exposed. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , further comprising diagnosing an operational state of the rail vehicle based on the operating characteristic of the rail vehicle and based on the externality characteristic of the first sensor. 
     
     
       17. A system comprising:
 a first sensor configured to determine an operating characteristic of a rail vehicle during a first operation of the rail vehicle, a control system of the rail vehicle configured to initiate the first operation of the rail vehicle; 
 a second sensor configured to determine one or more of an externality characteristic of the first sensor or an externality characteristic of the rail vehicle during one or more of the first operation of the rail vehicle or a second operation of the rail vehicle, wherein a controller that is transferably coupled with the control system is configured to initiate the second operation of the rail vehicle, wherein the second operation of the rail vehicle is configured to occur during one or more of an inspection event or a maintenance event and the first operation of the rail vehicle is configured to occur at a time outside of the one or more of the inspection event or the maintenance event; and 
 a memory configured to store first sensor information corresponding to the operating characteristic of the rail vehicle during the first operation of the rail vehicle that occurs at the time outside of the one or more of the inspection event or the maintenance event, 
 wherein the externality characteristic of the first sensor is representative of one or more external conditions to which the first sensor is exposed, and wherein the externality characteristic of the rail vehicle is representative of one or more external conditions to which the rail vehicle is exposed, and 
 wherein the controller is configured to diagnose an operational state of the rail vehicle based on the operating characteristic of the rail vehicle and based on the one or more of the externality characteristic of the first sensor or the externality characteristic of the rail vehicle. 
 
     
     
       18. The system of  claim 17 , wherein the controller is operable to cause the control system of the rail vehicle that controls operations of the rail vehicle to initiate the second operation of the rail vehicle, wherein the controller is configured to obtain one or more of the operating characteristics or the externality characteristics responsive to initiating the second operation of the rail vehicle in order to diagnose the operational state of the rail vehicle. 
     
     
       19. The system of  claim 17 , wherein the controller is configured to determine a health score of the rail vehicle based on the operational state of the rail vehicle. 
     
     
       20. The system of  claim 17 , wherein the controller is configured to one or more of autonomously or semi-autonomously diagnose the operational state of the rail vehicle. 
     
     
       21. The system of  claim 17 , wherein the controller is configured to select a responsive action to implement from plural different responsive actions based on the operational state of the rail vehicle.